A recent study sheds light on how spinal cord injuries can lead to significant health problems like diabetes and heart disease.
The study published in Cells Report Medicine found that after an spinal cord injury, abnormal activity in the nervous system triggers excessive breakdown of fats in tissue, releasing harmful compounds into organs like the liver.
Researchers found that gabapentin, a medication used to reduce nerve pain, successfully prevented these metabolic effects in animal models.
Meanwhile, gabapentin also induced insulin resistance, leading researchers to adjust dosing strategies to maintain benefits while minimizing side effects.
Gabapentin also targets overactive proteins in the nervous system, helping restore metabolic balance.
However, this breakthrough could open doors for new treatments to address secondary health issues caused by spinal injuries.
Moreover, people with spinal cord injuries often face conditions like diabetes and heart disease, linked to abnormal nerve activity causing fat tissue compounds to leak into organs.
But a new animal study shows promises that a short course of gabapentin, a nerve pain drug, can prevent these harmful effects.
Senior author Andrea Tedeschi, assistant professor of neuroscience in The Ohio State University College of Medicine said, “Through administration of gabapentin, we were able to normalize metabolic function.”
